The need for connectivity monitoring capability of all the different components of a telecommunication network is well known. In these networks, the dynamic interconnections between communication ports located within patch panels or active devices are provided by multiconductor cables, also known as patch cords. Accordingly, monitoring and mapping the physical connectivity of the network require real-time identification of changes in the interconnections between the ports. Some existing solutions include patch panels with special circuitry to enable transmission and receipt of control signals over patch cords connecting different patch panels. These patch panels are called ‘managed’ patch panels. Each connection or disconnection of patch cords is being monitored by the system and different visual presentations of information can be provided such as LED's, computer graphics etc. Such an exemplary system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,467, assigned to the assignee of this patent application, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
During the last years there is an increasing need for applications which enable feed of power over data communication lines. For example, applications using the technology of Power over Ethernet (PoE) which allows the use of applications such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The power may be injected by a power source equipment (PSE) at the switch or by a midspan PSE, where a mediation device feeds the power to the data lines. The switch and the midspan have no capability to monitor the physical port connections, and accordingly even when a midspan is interconnected to a ‘managed’ patch panel, the system will not enable the management of the physical layer connectivity. A solution which combines management and monitoring of both power and physical port connections is highly required.
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